Capt. John Hand's Fishing Blog
Fishing Articles by Capt. John Hand
Below you will find articles written by Capt John Hand on various topics related to his Fly Fishing Guide service operated in the south shore of Tampa Bay Florida.
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08 July 2011
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Versatility can turn a poor fishing day into a productive fishing adventure.
Rich and Gin Ford traveled from Bristol, England to join Leslie and I on Big Pine Key. Hopefully, to hook up on their first tarpon. We cast to some big boys on the oceanside only to be frustrated by their refusals.
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21 January 2011
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Captain's -
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Well actually I can!
A woman’s touch! Third time’s the charm! If at first you don’t succeed!
Leslie’s fuchsia
....take your pick.
A friend had joined me on two different occasions to target Bonnet Head Sharks on the fly. We were trying a new shrimp pattern I had tied for sharks. On both occasions we had a pick- up when we first arrived on the flat. Both times the sharks picked up the fly, but we were unable to get a good hook-set. On the second trip I had tweeked the fly, adding bright orange legs, a rattle, and more weight to make the fly sink faster. The fly needs to sink to the bottom quickly, so the shark can swim over it and pick it up. On the second trip we had a few more follows than we did on the first trip.
So back to the drawing board! I felt the fly and hook were too big.
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29 December 2010
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Captain's -
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Grand Champion - Pro Division
CCA / MCFF FALL FLY TOURNAMENT
Dusty Sprague won the Grand Champion of the Pro Division of the Fall Flyfishing Tournament Nov 6th sponsored by the CCA and Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers. Dusty, fishing with Capt. John Hand was the only angler out of 28 to catch all three species, redfish, snook , and speckled trout.
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29 December 2010
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Captain's -
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On the Braden River
HOT BUTT SPIDER COMES THROUGH !
I haven’t fished the upper Braden River for about twenty years. So when Dusty Sprague asked me about a freshwater spot to try, I suggested the Braden. We launched at a ramp we used to call Jigg’s Landing on Ward Lake. The last time I was there it was a run-down fish camp, now it is a county park with a nice launch ramp and parking area.
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29 April 2010
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Captain's -
Blog
St. Johns river at Hontoon Landing Resort.
Have A Back-Up Plan
Every spring my wife, Leslie, myself and two other couples, Dusty and Vicki Sprague, Ben and Sue Estes, meet at different locations in Florida for a freshwater flyfishing outing. This year it was on the St. Johns river at Hontoon Landing Resort.
